Hurricanes’ Charles Alexis Legault Making Early Impressions in Camp & Preseason

Some Carolina Hurricanes have already made an impression this early in training camp. Defenseman Charles Alexis Legault caught everyone’s attention after his performance heading into Sunday night’s 6-3 loss to the Florida Panthers.

Legault Came Out Swinging

Within the first 10 minutes of the first game of the prospect showcase, Legault dropped the gloves with Nashville Predators’ Kalan Lind after laying a massive open-ice hit in the first minute. Against the Panthers on Sunday night (Sept. 20), he dropped the gloves again, this time versus Brady Tkachuk. Last season, he cut his hand on a skate while trying to find his balance in the middle of another fight against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 23-year-old Laval, Quebec native isn’t one to back down from a fight, no matter who it is.

In 2025-26, Legault had one goal and two points in 12 games with the Hurricanes, and three goals and eight points in 24 games with the team’s American Hockey League affiliate, Chicago Wolves. He is heading into the final year of his entry-level contract and looking to secure an extension after this season.

The Hurricanes are in a contract stalemate with Alexander Nikishin, who reportedly requested a trade after the Cup Final. That could open the door for Legault to make the opening-night roster. Last season, he played well with the team until he missed three months due to injury. They know he can hold his own, and he’s done that through the last couple of weeks.

Legault is a solid defensive defenseman who could benefit from the Hurricanes’ system, especially throwing the body and dropping the gloves if necessary. His brouhaha with Tkachuk will go a long way in helping his cause, especially after a ton of people gave him the edge.

The Hurricanes currently have him with the C2 group at training camp, which mostly consists of American Hockey League (AHL) regulars from last season. Plus, the main NHL group has Pierre-Olivier Joseph, Mike Reilly and Juuso Valimaki getting ice time as well.

Legault could be considered a Jaccob Slavin 2.0 type of player, who knows when to box someone out and use his stick-handling skills to do the talking. Plus, his 6-foot-4 frame gives him a wider wingspan to take up more of the lanes. He can intercept or break up passes, which could then turn into odd-man rush chances the other way.

Even if he starts the season with the Wolves alongside Joel Nyström, who signed a four-year extension last season, Legault is someone head coach Spiros Anastas can lean on throughout the campaign. Regardless of how the next few days pan out, Legault has shown he can be a reliable defenseman when called upon by the Hurricanes.

For now, he must continue to do the little things during double practice days and throughout the rest of the preseason to make sure he is noticed. The Hurricanes host the Panthers at Lenovo Center on Tuesday night (Sept. 22), and Legault could see some more ice time then, or maybe later in the week, when the team plays the Predators on Thursday, Sept. 24 or Saturday, Sept. 26.

Whichever way the Hurricanes deploy him, expect him to come out swinging – both figuratively and literally. He’s shown flashes of becoming an NHL regular, especially after his stint last season before his injury. It’s about continuing to progress and do what Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour always says: “go 1-0 every day.”